Baseball Drops Two at Western Kentucky

Friday, February 28

Bowling Green, Ky.

2 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. CT

Central Michigan University

2-7

Western Kentucky

7-1

Central Michigan

Western Kentucky

Starter Alejandro Espinoza and two relievers combined to limit Western Kentucky to 2 runs in the nightcap of Friday's doubleheader.

Photo by: Joe Grogan '25 - @leazier.media

2/28/2025 10:27:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

By: Andy Sneddon

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – The Central Michigan baseball team got a solid effort from three pitchers, but the Chippewa bats went cold as CMU fell to Western Kentucky, 2-0, on Friday in the second game of a doubleheader at the Hilltoppers' Nick Denes Field.

The win gave the Hilltoppers, 9-4 winners in the opener, a sweep in the first two games of the teams' four-game series.

The Chippewas (2-8) and WKU (8-1) are scheduled to play single games on Saturday and Sunday. Both begin at 2 p.m. ET/1 p.m. CT.

Alejandro Espinoza, Max Hammond and Justin Morgan combined to limit the Hilltoppers to seven hits in Friday's second game.

Espinoza (0-3), the starter, allowed both runs on six hits while walking two and striking out two over 5 2/3 innings in taking the loss.

"We needed some length out of Espy and he kept us in the game," CMU coach Jake Sabol said. "Hammond was good, Morgan was good – it was good to see. We made it a point of emphasis in practice about being a little bit better, a little bit more competitive down in the zone, filling it up a little bit better and give our offense a chance and those three guys certainly did that.

"It was nice see. You'd like to think if we get that performance a few more times we'll be on the right side of it here and there."

The Chippewas managed just three hits – tying their season low -- off WKU starter Jack Bennett, who struck out seven and walked one over seven innings.

"He was good, I tip my cap to him," Sabol said. "But our guys were pretty good too.

"We got three hits in the box, but if you look at our at-bats, we had a lot of balls on the barrel – a lot of balls on the barrel.

"Our offense is really doing a nice job of putting the pressure on and doing the things that we ask them to do as far as finding the barrel and making hard contact and whatnot. It was one of those games where we just couldn't string a few together or get a few to fall. If you do that consistently you're going to get some of those big innings.

"It was tough because we finally got the pitching we were looking for and we just couldn't scratch any across. It's frustrating. You're telling your guys to stay the course because they're doing the right things and if we keep doing that consistently then we should be on the right side."

Aaron Piasecki doubled and Cole Prout and Jake Kutella each singled for the Chippewas.

CMU collected 11 hits in the opener but stranded 16 baserunners. They left the bases loaded in both the eighth and ninth innings without scoring a run in either frame.

"When you're on base good things happen," Sabol said. "We were on base all game, we had pressure on every single inning and we were just looking for that big hit."

WKU broke a 4-4 tie with a four-run seventh inning, highlighted by a Carlos Vasquez two-out, three-run double that came after the Chippewas committed an error on a ground ball that could have ended the inning.

Jared Hanson (0-1), the second of four CMU pitchers, took the loss. Chippewa starter Evan Waters allowed three runs on two hits over 2 2/3 innings. Hanson went 3 2/3 innings. Nate Ross and Dean Brown also pitched in relief.

Ross relieved Hanson in the seventh after the Hilltoppers got a leadoff double. WKU bunted the runner to third and then scored a run on a single to take a 5-4 lead.

One out later, the Chippewas committed an error and then Ross hit a batter to load the bases. Vasquez then cleared the bases with a double. All three runs were unearned.

"I thought Hanson did an excellent job in relief keeping us in there, keeping it tied for us to go to Ross in a big moment and their guy was just better in that situation; their guy just won that battle with Ross," Sabol said. "If we're in that situation a couple times a weekend, we feel pretty good about it.

"We like where Nate's at; he's still recovering, coming back from Tommy John, but he's going to be alright."

Prout tripled and Piasecki and Nathan Ball had two hits apiece to lead CMU at the plate. All but one Chippewa starter had at least one hit and CMU outhit the Hilltoppers, 11-9.

"I know they're frustrated because I feel like we're having some good at-bats and the result isn't there at the end of the day," Sabol said. "We've just got to keep pushing, got to keep doing the right things and not worry about the scoreboard. Just play the game and be a little bit better."